Display device



'A. J. LooK DISPLAY DEVICE Oct. 8, 1957 Filed Dec. 22. 1954 z'sheefs-sheet 1 'l1-12am Dl-f ,MTW/ u 00K UCL 8, 1957 A. J. LooK 2,808,669

' DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Dec. 22. 1954 A 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent' me DISPLAY DEVICE Arthur I. Look, Chicago, Ill., assgnor to Chicago Die cutting & Finishing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application December 22, 1954, Serial No. 477,089

3 Claims. (Cl. 40-33) The present invention relates to an improved display device of the type employed for attracting the attention of a passerby as an aid in the merchandising of articles.

The present invention provides a readily portable display device including a rotatable display means on which the advertising message is carried. The assembly is readily put together, and, when necessary, can be readily disassembled to form a small and compact package.

The display device of the present invention has the further advantage of low cost, inasmuch as much of the assembly is fabricated from paper board and the driving means employed may take the form of an inexpensive electric motor operated by ashlight batteries or the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide a readily portable, easy to assemble display device.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved display device which can be knocked down to a compact unit for shipping or storage purposes.

Further objects and features of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the attached sheets of drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a view in elevation of the display device completely assembled;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross sectional view of the display device illustrated in Figure l;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the motor mechanism with the cover thereof removed;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the motor assembly; and

Figure 5 is a view in elevation, and partly in crosssection of the base structure employed in the assembly illustrated in the preceding iigures.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figure 1 reference numeral 10 indicates generally the display device of the present invention including a base portion generally indicated at numeral 11, an elongated vertical support member generally indicated at numeral 12, and a display means indicated generally at numeral 13.

The base 11, as best seen in Figure 5, may be composed of two sections each preferably composed of corrugated paper board or the like, one of these sections, 14, having a double thickness provided by folding the section 14 along a pair of spaced fold lines 14a and 14b thereby providing a bridge 14e between the opposed leg portions. A second base panel 15 which may be of a single thickness corrugated board is suitably notched as indicated at 15a to engage the opposed sides of the double thickness section 14. A tongue 16 is formed at the base of the notch 15a and tightly receives the end of a tubular support 17 in tight frictional engagement.

To provide a smaller, compact package when the unit is disassembled, the elongated support generally indicated at 12 may consist of a pair of tubular support members 17 and 18 in telescoping engagement, although, obviously, the support means 12 may consist of a single tube if desired.

2,808,669 Patentedl Oct, A8, 195.7

ICC

`The tubular supporting column extends through an aperture formed in the bridge 14C and, at the upper end of the tubular supporting column, there is provided a motor assembly generally indicated at numeral 19 in the drawings. The latter may include a motor housing 21 at the base of which there is secured a pair of U-shaped supporting means 22 and 23 disposed at iight angles to each other and being sufficiently resilient to be tightly engaged within the open end of the elongated support column 12.

The driving mechanism for the display device may take any of the Variety of forms, but I prefer to employ a small battery operated motor 24 which may be mechanically coupled to a gear train (not shown) which, in turn, drives an output shaft 27 provided with a key 27a. The electrical power for operating the motor is derived from a pair of ash light batteries 28, and an on-oif switch 29 is provided to start and stop the motor by making and breaking the ground return circuit of the batteries 28.

A mechanical coupling means which may take the form of a flanged disk member 31 receives the key 27a on the output shaft 27 to be driven thereby.

As best seen in Figure 2, the coupling member 31 has a depending peripheral ange portion 32 whose diameter is slightly larger than the diameter of the motor housing 21 so that it is free to rotate relative thereto. The vertical flange portion 32 is in tight frictional engagement with the edge 33 of an aperture provided in a diagonally extending partition wall 34 of the display means 13, so that when the motor is energized the rotation of the disk member 31 will cause rotation of the shell 13 by virtue of this frictional engagement.

The display means 13 may be suitably composed of cardboard or the like in the form of a rectangular box. To permit ease in assembly and disassembly, the display means 13 is formed as a rectangular shell 35 having a pair of end aps 36 and 37 Which close the ends of the shell 35 during the rotation of the display means, but which can be readily opened to permit access to the interior of the shell. Suitable advertising messages can be printed on the exterior tfaces of the shell 35, and on the flaps 36 and 37,.as desired.

As indicated best in Figure 2, the shell 35 is provided with an aperture 38 of greater diameter than the diameter of the tubular support column 12 so that the entire shell 35 is free to rotate relative to the support column.

With the type of construction illustrated in the drawings, the unit may be readily assembled and disassembled for storage and shipping purposes. For example, the two piece base construction can be easily disassembled and folded into a substantially flat package. Similarly, the tubular column can be disassembled into two or more telescoping sections. Further, the motor housing is readily disengageable from the tubular column and stored as a unit, with the coupling member providing an effective dust cover for the interior of the motor housing. Finally, the shell type of display means can be folded in the same manner as a box blank to form a flat package. To facilitate such folding, the partition wall 34 is preferably detachably secured to the shell 38.

It will further be observed that t-he display device of the present invention provides an economical and attractive means for displaying advertising. With the construction illustrated, the drive unit, i. e., the motor, is completely shielded from view by the shell type display. Consequently, the display means seems to rotate by itself, as no motor, and no lead-in wires are visible to the observer, thereby creating a novel effect which is likely to attract the desired attention.

It will be evident that various modifications can be made to the. described embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

l. A display device comprising a base, a tubular support member detachably engaged'witn said base, a motor having ,support means received in frictionalengagement within one end of said tubular support member, a coupling member driven by said motor, a shell completely enclosing said motorV and said support means and enclosing said one end of said tubular support means, a partition wall eX- tending between and engaging opposed sides of said shell, said coupling means being in tight frictional engagement with said partition Walls to provide a driving connection between said motor andV said shell.

2. A display device comprising a base, a tubular supportmember detachablyengaged with said b ase, a motor having support means` received in frictional engagement within one end of saidV tubular support member, a coupling member driven by said motor, a readily collapsible shell completely enclosing said motor and said support means, and enclosingsaidone end of said tubular support means, a partition Wall extending between and engaging both sides of said shell, said coupling means being in tight frictional engagement with, said partition Wall to provide a driving connection between said motor and said shell,

3. A display device comprising a base, a tubular supportmember detachably engaged with said base, a motor having support means received in frictional engagement within one end of said tubular support member, a coupling member driven by said motor, a shell completely enclosing said motor and s aid support means and enclosing said one end of said tubular support means, a partition wall in wedged engagement with opposed corners of said shell, said coupling means being in tight frictional but readily?detachableengagementV with said partition wall to provide a driving connection between said motor and said shell.

References Cited in the llel of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,740,845 Tilbe Dec. 24, 1929 1,930,048 Harding Oct. 10, 1933 2,073,321. Smith Mar. 9, 1937 2,209,858 Steifert July 30, 194() 2,710,472 Leander July 14, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTSV 59,532 Switzerland Mar. 28, 1912 

